***My dear readers, thanks so much for your encouragement! I thought I'd let you know that I've tweaked Chapter 6, just a bit. And now, here is Chapter 7, finished in record time. ***
Chapter 7
Ginny felt like her center of gravity had somehow shifted sideways. As she magically heated the kettle, Draco had sat down at his piano and begun messing about at the keyboard. It was a hauntingly beautiful melody that reminded Ginny of Debussy's "Clair de Lune", but Draco was very clearly making it up as he went. He seemed to feel completely at ease at the moment. Ginny, on the other hand, was reeling from the sudden giddy warmth she felt in her chest. Lovely. You're lovely. His two-word compliment seemed to echo through her whole body.
But everything was all wrong about this little domestic scene! This was someone else's home, another woman's poppy-and-cornflower teapot. And the man at the piano was not her tone-deaf, green-eyed Harry. This was a stranger with steel-gray eyes, and Harry's oldest enemy.
Her hands trembled as she poured out the tea.
"Well, then, what shall we do, after all, about 'that bloody newspaper', as you so aptly put it?" Draco began. "Shall we track down that horrible editor and confund her while planting a carefully worded follow-up article in her hand? Or perhaps make some quiet threats and warn her to leave playboy Potter off the front page from now on? Or we could always just curse the entire building and shut the newspaper down..." Draco was enjoying himself, clearly, tossing out ideas like it was a game.
"I can't be having this conversation with you right now! This is insane!"
"What? Oh, sorry, just a bit of Slytherin humor, Ginny. Blackmail, curses, all of that- it's what any Malfoy would suggest, but I wasn't really serious." He combed his fingers through his hair apologetically. "Actually, I'm rather at a loss, I mean, unless you actually wanted to-"
"How dare you call Harry a playboy to me- to me!"
"Merlin! Surely you're not going to defend Potter, are you? The world's most annoying self-satisfied little "hero"? Who always neglected his wife - yes, I saw you and I do remember, Mrs. Potter! - and now the stuck-up prat is having a public fling with Wood's baby brother-are you even officially divorced yet? How could you stand it living with him all these years? No woman deserves that!"
Ginny did not want to burst into tears yet again. So instead, she slammed her tea cup on the table and stood up, hands balled into fists, eyes blazing.
"You couldn't possibly understand what my life was like, Malfoy! Harry is the best man I've ever known. He saved your life. More than once."
"And I'm the worst you've ever known, I suppose? I was trying to be kind! This is my house, if you remember. Don't start yelling at me in my own house for telling you the plain truth! I had hoped we could be friends. How stupid of me to waste so much of your time this evening! I think you'd better go now. It's been a long day."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
When Ginny arrived home, she ignored the owls pecking at her kitchen window and went straight upstairs to take a bath. But she couldn't seem to relax, even in the tub. There were too many thoughts racing through her head. So she put on her robe and went back downstairs.
Four owls were now waiting for her. She took their rolls of parchment and read them one at a time.
First message:
"Gin- Hope the ball went well. I thought you'd like to know that Lily is fine. She asked for you at bedtime, but I got her to sleep in the end. Did you maybe see or hear anything this evening that you want to talk about with me? I've been getting a bunch of owls... It looks like I'm out to the wizarding world now. I'm fine. I hope you're fine too. I'll be up late if you want to talk about it. If not, see you at lunch. Love, Harry"
Second message:
"Ginny- I only just saw the Prophet! (It takes a few extra hours to reach me in Baghdad.) Don't panic. I'm on my way back right now! I sent Harry the same message. Everything will be fine. We'll make a plan. See you by 10 AM, I hope. -Hermione"
"Oh, now you're coming back? Thanks a lot, Hermione. Of course you'll come back for Harry..." Ginny commented to the air.
Third message:
"Dear Mrs. Potter,
We're about to publish a story that concerns your family. Unfortunately, I can't pull a story this big, not even for my favorite new employee. But I thought you'd like the chance to see it before it hits the public. I've enclosed a draft. I'm so sorry, my dear! Do you have any comment to add? If so, send me an owl by 5:35 pm. Otherwise, I hope to hear from you soon regarding your progress with all your interviews.
Best wishes,
Mathilda Codswallop"
"Ugh." Ginny just crumpled it and opened the next.
Fourth message:
"Dear Ginny,
It was a lot to take in at once this evening. Maybe you just need some time to process it all. Astoria was always that way, too- I should have known. Please, just think about what I said. And then come have tea with me.
-Draco"
"Insufferable man! No apology at all." She balled up this parchment too, and then, for some reason, tucked it into the pocket of her robe.
"Aaaaaah!" Ginny yelled in exasperation to no one in particular. Then she took three deep breaths and went to talk to Harry.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Harry?" Ginny called softly as she stepped through the fireplace into his flat at Meadowlark St. She had not been there before, and there was no telling if he was still awake. She checked her watch- 1 AM. "Harry?"
"Ginny! Ah, there you are at last!" Harry came out from the kitchen, turning on all the lights as he went. I've been waiting up for ages, reading all these ridiculous letters that keep coming. Merlin, look here's another one!" A large owl swooped through the kitchen window and landed right on the table next to them.
"You alright?"
"Oh, I suppose so. This was not at all the way I wanted to come out, but I'm trying to make the best of it. I mean, it's a bit of a relief, isn't it, now that it's over? Gosh, I'm so glad you're here!"
"I really need a cup of tea. And some breakfast. And maybe a bar of chocolate. Where's your kettle?"
"Good! Let's both have eggs. Can you make them? There might be some chocolate in the refrigerator. Or the spoon drawer. I'm not sure."
"Oh, fine then." Ginny was grumpy, but too hungry to argue about who should cook. "The spoon drawer? You always were one for putting things in odd places."
"Accio chocolate." A large bar of chocolate came soaring out of the potato bin. "Found it. Oh yeah, you haven't seen my flat yet. Would you like a tour?"
"Let's eat first. It's been a long night."
Once Ginny had drunk a cup of tea and devoured her eggs, she felt a little better. "Alright then, Harry. So spill it. What happened? Who was he?"
"Right. Well, I was closing up work at the office, and one of the new graduates came by to get his things. His name is Rory Wood. He's Oliver Wood's brother, by the way. Can you believe it? They're both gay. Who knew? Well, we got to talking. He seemed really nice. At some point, I started to wonder, Is he flirting with me?
"Yep, must've been," Ginny inserted.
"Erm, yeah, he wasn't very subtle about it. Somehow he knew. He knew I was gay the first time he saw me, he said. And he's fancied me for ages. So what do I do? Like an idiot, I suggest he can walk me part of the way home and we can talk more. He was so confident and so, so..." Harry blushed. "Well, anyway, at some point, he says, 'I bet you've never been kissed before,' and then, er-"
Ginny's fingers closed reflexively around the wadded up parchment in her pocket as she made an angry fist. "Don't tell me the rest. I could see you enjoyed it, and I don't really want to know."
"Merlin, Ginny! Don't be that way. This is embarrassing enough as it is. Anybody would have lost their head with a kiss like that! But bloody hell! Why did he have to go and do it in the street? I had no idea there was a reporter lurking about. Never saw him at all. Then this evening all these bloody owls started showing up!"
Ginny snorted involuntarily. "Yeah, I wonder why you didn't see him?"
"That's enough! Don't tease me. It's not funny! I'm so sick of this. I never wanted to be in the public eye. Just seems to be my freakin' lot in life."
"Alright, Harry. I'm sorry. But it'll blow over. It always does, you know. And like you said, at least it's done now- you're out and you don't have to think about it anymore."
"Right."
She gripped her little paper ball like a talisman and asked the hard question, "So are you seeing this bloke now, or what?"
"I dunno. Probably not. A bit too fast for me, I think. I think I'd like to meet somebody closer to my age. Nice quiet type. Preferably someone who gets along well with you and likes kids."
Ginny slowly exhaled. "Good. Rory looks way too young. Is he even twenty yet?"
"Twenty-two."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"I guess I should ask, then: You're out now. You'll probably be dating soon. I suppose we should go ahead and put in for the divorce."
"I suppose so. Shouldn't be too complicated. Ug, can we save this conversation for tomorrow? I'm so tired, and Hermione's owled to say she's coming by ten in the morning."
"Nice of her to fly back for you."
"Yeah," he brightened. "But oy, am I gonna get an earful!"
Ginny sleepily stood up and headed toward the fireplace.
"Wait, before you go- Ginny, I just want to say thanks for coming by. I hope, when you're ready and all, you'll find somebody really wonderful. You deserve it."
"Thanks, Harry. You too."
"I mean it."
"So do I."
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
At that hour of the morning, Ginny ought to have fallen asleep instantly, but it was also her first night sleeping completely alone in the house. Lily had not spent the night at Harry's flat before now. Ginny lay in her bed and thought about Lily and Albus and James, wondered what they were dreaming about and whether their blankets were warm enough. She tried to imagine the sound of their soft, regular breathing from the days when they used to curl up in her arms as she rocked them to sleep.
Loneliness crashed down around her. The house was far too quiet tonight. A million thoughts crowded into her mind and danced jigs around her bed. Harry. The photograph. The children. The paper. The party. The little patio with Malfoy- no, Draco. Draco's hand on her shoulder as they apparated to his house...
At long length, sleep crept over Ginny without her realizing it, and she began to dream.
Ginny felt strong, warm hands kneading, caressing her shoulders, her neck, her back. She had never had a massage before- this was amazing! Each muscle, each tiny place on her back responded in its turn with an explosion of feeling. Warmth radiated to her whole body. Even her fingers and toes were tingling.
And then Ginny thought, What is this wonderful table I am lying on? And it was not a table at all, she realized. It was a man's bare chest. Skin touching skin. How long was it since she had been touched? She concentrated on the marvelous sensation of closeness and warmth and felt herself relax more completely than she could ever recall. She was protected, safe, warm, held, and utterly at peace.
It was such a vivid dream that, even when she woke up at eight the next morning, far too soon after such a late night, the feeling of exaltation and peaceful warmth still lingered.